As youth camps begin around the world, we pause to give thanks for the visionaries who prayerfully pioneered this ministry in our movement. In her book "Dew Drops," Elva Howard shares the inspiring story of how God birthed the first Church of God of Prophecy youth camp in Story, Wyoming, in 1951—a dream that began in the heart of a young woman longing to see her generation experience God in a powerful way.
“It is still amazing to me how God works,” Elva reflects, “but I have learned through His Word when He purposes to work, nothing or no one can stop it.” In a time when few young people were engaged in church life, she sensed a deep calling to provide a space for youth to worship, grow, and fellowship. The idea first stirred during a family camping trip in the mountains, where the natural beauty stirred her spirit, “The smell of the woods… the singing of the birds gave me a spiritual sense of being. I felt God in His creations.”
With humble means and deep faith, Elva, her family, and a small group of supporters began preparations for the first camp. Meat was donated by local hunters, fish gathered from nearby lakes, and baked goods prepared and frozen in anticipation. “To me, this was God supplying our need,” she wrote, describing the joy of watching tub after tub of fish being collected.
On August 5, 1951, the gates of the Presbyterian Campground in Story, Wyoming, opened to a group of eager and uncertain young people. “They didn’t know what it was all about,” Elva remembers, “but they were there. Before the week was over, just like all succeeding camps, the blessings had fallen.”
Campers worshipped beside mountain streams, shared meals, sang around the fire, and even witnessed baptisms in the cool, clear brook. “That laughing brook had many purposes,” she wrote, “for it was here…that many, who during the week had allowed the Lord Jesus Christ into their lives, followed the officiating minister into a meaningful baptismal service.”
As we prayerfully anticipate this year’s camp season, may we do so with gratitude for those who obeyed God’s call in seasons past. “Camp was now a reality—my dream had come true!” Elva concluded. “My dream was to fill a need for this group. I was praising God that He had heard my prayer and was filling a need, and this was a beginning.”
Let us believe again, as she did, that God still desires to meet young hearts in sacred spaces—under starlit skies, beside laughing brooks, and in holy moments of surrender. May this camp season be marked by His presence.